xplayer930

So what are the chances of loosing your fingers. I like hait firing up my planes, cuz if i loose my fingers, i can say good buy to being an MD. I made the rediculous remote glow startes, its seems like its 10 feet away from the prop. Does anybody have any finger injuires they would like to share?

Jim Thomerson

Last time I ended up in the emergency room with one of your colleagues putting 11 stitches in, I had, for no reason, reached out and stuck my left hand into a spinning 9 x 5 APC. (If you are not any smarter than that, you probably shouldn't be an MD.) I exposed, but did not cut, a couple of tendons. Healed up fine with almost no scar. I usually hand start my engines, and wear a heavy leather glove. However, I have been running a carbon fiber prop on a Tower 40, and I use a starter on that combination. No way I'm going to hand start that prop.

Just be careful and focused. All a prop needs is a tiny moment of stupidity or carelessness.

Jim

xplayer930

ouch. well im not there yet im only a high school senior. But yes i do wear a heavy lather glove when starting my planes. I also paint the tips of the prop red or yellow so i dont nick anything.

Geistware

My Feedback: (16)

Get a chicken stick

spokman

My Feedback: (2)

Heavy leather gloves are a good idea. You might want to paint your prop tips with something. Some other people on here will know some good colors and paint types.

Chris-_-Memphis

My Feedback: (3)

i second that!

autopilot

I like to paint my prop tips white because sometimes I space out and forget that the prop ( which is going too fast to see ) is still there, and have gotten bitten a couple of times. I use an electric starter, but if I didn't have that, I'd use a chicken stick because sometimes the prop comes back around on you and you get bit.

smokingcrater

don't fly alone! always have someone around to help with preflight.

xplayer930

hmmm out of curiosity how good do the heavy gloves protect your hands??? will they prevent you from needing stiches. Im asking this becasue i dont own anything larger than a .40

taurus02914

I was hit once, early morning, didnt want t loose the day so I ca'd it shut, worked well, I've used a sulivan starter ever since.Best investment.

jcflysrc

My Feedback: (50)

Get a starter...it's a no brainer.

What are you smoking? Come on dude...you just started the engine...a second later, you forget about a spinning prop cause you can't see it? Are you deaf? What's up with that? You don't hear that engine running? I mean, one time is an accident...a couple times...well...you need to be more careful, or get a new hobby.

I know that sounds harsh...but I never have been "bit". And it's not cause I'm lucky. It's cause I'm CAREFUL. It's been said before, and it bears saying again. Start your engine with a starter if at all possible. NEVER reach around that spinning scalpel. Tune your engine from behind the prop (wing). NEVER fly alone!

These few steps alone will save your hide and money. Believe it!

spokman

My Feedback: (2)

How do gloves protect you? Trust an ex sawmill worker to tell you any leather gloves will protect your hands. Leather is tough. Your skin isn't. If you are woried you should wear gloves at first. Snug fitting ones would probably be best but not give you as much protection but enough. Use wooden props at first to. They supposedly won't cut you as bad.

jettstarblue

'lectric starter, wood props. Plastic Master Airscrew will take off fingers. APC aren't as bad, but still go with the wood props.Heavy leather will more than likely keep away the stitches, but not broken blood vessels, tendons cartilage ect.

Jetts

DBCherry

My Feedback: (4)

Your original quesions was, "what are the chances of loosing your fingers". The answer would be, not very likely. I have only read one or two (unsubstantiated) stories of someone loosing a finger, yet have heard hundreds of stories about getting hit by a prop.

However, a starter and leather gloves should prevent damage serious enough to prevent you from becoming a doctor. I'm also assuming that you're actually saying surgeon, because I can't imagine that a missing finger would be a fctor in becoming a doctor.
Dennis-

FLYBOY

My Feedback: (11)

I have had many back fire and cut my finger. Tons of scars from .049 engines. I did have a brain fart once and stick my right forefinger in the prop and shorten it a bit. That was the worst one. Don't even ask how dumb that was. Also one time on a rear engine I was tuning the engine and bent my hand too much and got a pretty deep gash about half way between my thumb and wrist. Dumb move also. Just got in a hurry and got careless.

I have only seen one guy really take a finger off, at the first joint. Mine was just the tip. He was the one that yelled at me at the meeting for sticking my finger in the prop and told me how dumb I was and how careless I was. Made me feel about 2 feet tall, but that was back when I was about 15. He took his finger off about a month later, and then 2 months after that let a running plane hit his leg and needed a whole lot of work done there. Guess he should have been more carefull too eh! I was good. I didn't say a word about it to him. (although I should have)

If you are carefull, you don't need to hit a finger, but accidents do happen, especially when you get in a hurry.

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

Two good habits to get into are:

1 Never use your fingers to start an engine. There's ALWAYS something handy to use instead. A screwdriver handle is not the best thing to use, but it's a LOT better than using your fingers.

2. Never stand (or let anyone else stand) in front, or along side an engine that is running anything above idle. There have been countless stories of someone who was standing in front of their plane while running it to full power, and either having the engine throw a prop, or having the engine come loose and hitting them. Get behind the prop arc, THEN run up your engine.

Montague

Also, be sure to do all adjustments and removal of the glow starter etc from behind the prop. I know it was said earlier, but I'll say it again anyway.

If you do slip from behind the prop, your fingers will just get slapped away. I've done this dozens of times when adjusting a needle valve, get a little whack or 3 on the finger, but no blood, no damage, nothing. If I had been in front of the prop, it would have been much worse.

Also, you're less likely to brain fart and reach straight forward as I've seen guys do. I saw a guy do a "hey, what is that" and try to point to a broken nosewheel stearing arm he just noticed. Unfortunatly, there was a spinning prop between him and the nosewheel. That was messy.

FLYBOY

My Feedback: (11)

Can't stress that enough. Last year I was in the pitts and 2 guys were running up a Saito 180. One kept telling us to get back behind the prop arc. I thought to myself "whats his deal, I have never seen an engine throw a prop in all the years I have flown" and that thought no sooner crossed my mind and WHOP! The prop went solo, hit a fence and flew all the way to the other side of the runway! We never found the prop nuts. If that would have hit someone, it would have been really messy! Learned that one the hard way. You may have not seen it happen, but it does. Don't get in the mind set I was in that it can't happen. It can!

xplayer930

I cant stand people that tell you your doing something wrong, anthen they go and do the same, if not even worse. This guy at the hobby show was like i dont use and electeic starter. AN o boy did it show, he had scars all over his hand from prop bite.

zetor

My Feedback: (2)

Some of those props are very sharp. I have a pretty good cut by just priming the engine with an apc prop.

smokingcrater

I've put a painful slice on my hand just removing an APC from the plastic sheath it came in! Slide it out the top, past my hand, and it sliced just like a knife!.

anyway, someone asked how leather gloves protect. first, remember leather is not going to rip apart, so when the prop hits it, it spreads the impact out over a larger surface area on your skin. the prop won't penetrate your skin as long as the leather is intact. (exact same concept as a bullet proof vest...) that doesn't mean you won't have a really nasty bruise &/or broken bones, but you still should have a finger attached!

cheechukranch

With spelling and grammer like that, I'd say fingers are the least of your worries for admission to medical school.

xplayer930

Yea but who said you need good spelling. Thats why theres spell check on microsoft word.

siclick33

I had a prop thrown off in the pits a couple of weeks back. I had turned the model 90 degrees and the prop was thrown harmlessly out of the way.

About ten years back a guy at my club was running up his engine from in front of the model and the prop was thrown into his face. Very messy! (and completely avoidable)

I have only had nicked fingers from an 049. That was painful enough. I'm sure it's only a matter of time before I get another one. With a little care you can reduce the chances significantly.

Scott Dilley

My Feedback: (3)

PM a guy named AKAlefty. he'll send you some gruesome pictures.